EARTHEARTISTRY 2, March Blog:

Uranus moves into Aries on the12th of March.  This years’ “Ides” may be ideas and ideologies rising to challenge the status quo.  We’ve already seen the rumblings of revolution in Egypt, Libya and Wisconsin.  The upheaval that often comes with breaking up or out of old structures, paradigms or ideologies is resonant with these astrological weather patterns.  With Uranus, whose keynote is freedom, and whose totem is coyote, anything is possible.

Unpredictable and contrary, Uranus wants freedom from the tired, old, forms that control and stifle creativity and community.  Breakdowns and breakthroughs come with the territory.  Throw in Mercury in Aries, communication in the key of independence, from the 10th to the 30th and you have lot of fiery tinder.  The Sun enters Aries on the 21st, on the Vernal Equinox, bringing another conjunction with Uranus, adding more combustibles to the mix. When Uranus enters Aries it will remain in the sign until May 15, 2018. 

The last week of March sees the Aries Sun coming into opposition to Saturn in Libra, archetype of the desire for equality and laws that are fair.  The drastic gap between those who have excessive money and those that have not enough gets more visible. Divine discontent desires a genuine democracy that isn’t a mockery of corporate and government alliances buying out and literally controlling many of “the goods.”

As all this is emerging, a square to Pluto in Capricorn is in play. Pluto symbolizes the underworld, the hidden sector, the realm of the shadow, the betrayals, the terror and pain that we’d rather not face.  Our culture hides death, yet uses its rattle to frighten and manipulate.  Pluto and Uranus will be in dialogue with each other for the next seven years, a quarter of the Saturn cycle.

Since Pluto has an orbit of approximately 248 years, it is safe to say it is a slow-mover and will only move through each sign once in a lifetime. Pluto will remain in Capricorn until March 23, 2023.

Capricorn is the sign associated with order, structure, time and the “father principle.” Its shadow is control, domination and the inability to feel and empathize.  Winter water can be walked upon--- it no longer flows--- and yet each wintry snowflake contains a unique pattern.

Capricorn also embodies the organizing principle as applied to the whole of a system, be it a body, organization, planet or solar system.  Pluto here is announcing that all systems are due for breakdown and breakthrough to another more functional way of organization.  In the process we are witnessing the emergence of much of the hidden maneuvering and power plays that were skillfully kept away from public scrutiny.  The “white-collar” criminal element is losing its cover.  In its arrogance it is trying to dismantle all of the structures that provide the general populace with a basic quality life.

I think we are seeing the demise of the old order, the patriarchy, all the structures built on the belief in separation that can so longer sustain us as a world entering planetary consciousness.  Within us and without us the out-grown modalities are coming down, but not without a struggle.  I still cast my vote to the birth of the butterfly while realizing how difficult it is to be within the caterpillar melt-down that is also part of the process.

Which brings us to two more interesting placements:

Until the 12th, when Uranus enters Aries, it remains at the 29th degree of Pisces.  The late, great Isabel Hickey, called the 29th degree the “degree of expiation,” meaning it had the capacity to reflect and express the greatest qualities of the entire sign.  Uranus has an eighty-four year orbit and lives in each sign for about seven years.

I view the 29th degree as a culmination of the journey through the entire sign, and as such, an elder of the sign.  Just as elders make the transition from the known embodiment to another dimension, likewise, there is a release of the sign just experienced and a time on the cusp or threshold where one is no longer the old and not quite the new or next incarnation.  Many wisdom traditions talk of such times as “’tween times,” times of mystery, power, intuition, revelation and inspiration.

Pisces is about the process of dissolving, letting go, empathy and compassion, qualities we need in abundance as we are in this confusing and sometimes frightening birthing process.  Its shadow is illusion and escapism, fed by the projection of ideals or demons onto another that distort and filter the experience of the person.

Pisces is also the last sign or culmination of the journey through the twelve signs until the rebirth and new beginnings of the Vernal Equinox, the official marker of spring. The zero degree Aries Point is considered to be one of the most potent positions in the entire 360-degree spectrum of possibility. Thus, having Uranus conjunct the Aries point indicates a greater potential for genuine breakthrough and new birth.

And, in conclusion, we also have one more 29 degree placement, and that is Neptune, who from the new moon on the 5th until the new moon on April 3,rd is at this final degree of the sign of Aquarius, literally in the homestretch of its journey as it goes into its home territory of Pisces on April 4th.  Neptune takes approximately 164 years to complete its orbit and stays in each sign for about fourteen years.

I believe the Neptune in Aquarius has given us the awareness that the internet is a planetary nervous system giving us greater opportunities of uniting and appreciating our unique differences.

Neptune is the dreamer and we are also seeing many dreams morph into nightmares.  There is an opportunity to realize that we can change the world by changing the dream as we can change ourselves by changing our dreams.  Yet, there are also the real threats from corporate collaborators that are attempting to dissolve the power of the unions and the working people as symbolized by Aquarius.  As it shifts into Neptune it will be interesting to see if we are capable of awakening within and shape-shifting the dream.

I suggest you buckle your seat belts as Uranus is Aries, the sign of the individual, the brave, and the pioneer, takes off.  Aries has traditionally been the archetype of the warrior and we are seeing a resurgence of folks fed up with being trampled upon.  Jupiter is already in Aries turf, and as spring always reminds us, life has a way of resurrecting itself.


©  Esther Frances, March 2011

EARTHEARTISTRY March 2011
Please go to my website www.EstherFrances.com for more information on my Eco-Astrology and spiritual counseling, Earth Is My Cathedral inter/OMnifaith Ministry, EARTHEARTISTRY Arts & Education for the Ecozoic Era and Mother Earth Calls CD.

Eco-Astrology / Spiritual Counseling:  Affordable sliding scale continues: $2-1 a minute, 20 minutes minimum.  In person or by phone: 845-626-7116.  Recording available.

Calendar:

EARTHEARTISTRY BOOK CIRCLE:
 Friday, March 11th, 7 pm, Barnes & Noble Kingston Café:
 The featured book is “The Order Of Melchizedek: Love, Willing Service, Fulfillment” by Daniel Chesbro.
I was ordained into the order of Melchizedek by Daniel Chesbro in 2000.  I just discovered this book and love the profound simplicity it delivers on the powerful transformative capacity of unconditional love.
 
       “Daniel Chesbro has written a blueprint of where we are today while
        providing a road map for the future… The book is recommended reading
        for those seeking hope, direction, and spiritual insight”

Glenn Sanderfur, Director of Development Edgar Cayce organizations,
–                 and author of Lives of the Masters
 

April EARTHEARTISTRY Book circle: Friday, April 8th, 7pm, Kingston Barnes and Noble:

Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of Omega.

   I also recommend a beautiful and moving new book by local singer/songwriter Bar Scott called "The Present Giver."
There’s a lot of talk about “ascension” and very little acknowledgment of the role of “descension,” a term I may have just coined to describe the process of “deepening down” into the dark as the necessary companion of "lightening up."  These books are a testimony to the courage it takes to track through our tears and find our way through the challenges of pain, loss, despair and disillusion.  I recommend them both and will let you know which one we will be discussing soon.

Workshop: The Diamond of Love:  The Twelve Sacred Facets of Astro-Cosmology -- The Power of the W-hole-ly Prism of Love!
To follow up on my guest ministry on this topic last month, this workshop has the intention of deepening and expanding out experience and understanding of love.  It will  include a special guided meditation, astrological perspectives on Venus in the chart, and an opportunity to clear obstacles and charge intentions for a more in-depth experience of divine love in our lives.

Saturday March 19th, 2-4 PM, The Sanctuary, Academy Street in New Paltz.
Cost: $25-15 sliding scale.  Space is limited.  Please reserve right away if you are interested.  I’d like a minimum of eight people to make it a go. 845-626-7116.  You can bring your astrological chart or contact me to get one.

Pet-sitting / dog-walking or any other work I might do:  I love pet-sitting and dog walking.  Also I am willing and able for other work.  Please let me know if you have a project you’d like a hand with.  Thank you.

 

www.EstherFrances.com                                            845-626-7116

 

Palace of Peace

 

Today I am kicking out the landlord of separation

            and coming home to my palace of peace.

 

I AM ONE!

No more divided,

            I breathe in ecstacy and exhale the bad breath of exile.

 

My body is a dancing “cell-ebration” of radiant awakening.

            This multitude knows it is ONE,

                        feels it is ONE,

                                    and basks in the sun of realization,

                                                knowing it is the whole, w-hole-ly constellation.

                                                            I am a galaxy of gladness!

 Doubt’s dandruff is brushed away by the anointing oil of grace.

            My hair shines and shimmers with light from within.

 

Free from the heresy of happiness I leave behind the hopes born of destitution.

            I’m at home in the heart of joy.

 

I awake in the certainty that poverty is a thing of the past!

            I awake with a smiling heart.

 

                        A graceful grin lifts my mouth as I reach for the pen

                                                to testify and transcribe this testimony of truth:

                        The separate “self” surrendered, dissolved and re-absorbed

                                    into the great and glorious Goddessence* is the only way to get out of “Dodge”

                                                and not be pursued by the sheriffs of shame

                                                            with their posses of sadness.

 

More is not the answer my friends,

            For in the cosmic game board less is the lesson.

                        Let your soap bubble pop!  The sky is yours!

 Deflected from the army of want there is no more fright and no more fear.

            The frozen drop of despair that you thought you were

                        flows back into the majestic “mist-ery” that you are!

 

Yes! Yes! Yes!

            The nightmare is over.

                        Our Great Dawn has arrived and we dwell in the home of the heart forever and ever.

 

*Goddessence: a term I believe to be coined by Claire Dennis

©  Esther Frances, December 11, 2010,

Written the morning after the “Ecstatic Rumi” celebration in Santa Cruz, CA

Published in the February 2011 edition of "The Network, Your Guide to Inspiration and Well-Being" www.centerforworldnetworking.org
www.EstherFrances.com

 

EARTHEARTISTRY Newsletter February 2011:

 Welcome new readers!  I just returned to the Hudson Valley after two glorious months in Santa Cruz. I’m thankful for so many new friends and the privilege of reading for many of you.  In particular I’d like to share my appreciation for the staff of Gateways, a fabulous spiritual bookstore and center, who welcomed me with such love and support.  I was a reader there while in Santa Cruz.  They are closing their doors in March and it will be interesting to see what new forms will arise to serve the SC community in their absence.

Our format for the newsletter is the calendar, part 1, usually followed by part 2, a blog.  This month I am going to feature my poem, “Palace of Peace,” as the blog, in honor of it being published in “The Network, Your Guide to Inspiration and Well-Being.”  This monthly publication features a regular channeling of Sri Yukteswar by Theresa Stolaroff.  You can find more information about it at www.centerforworldnetworking.org.

Hope you enjoy.  Your feedback is always welcome on my website, www.EstherFrances or through email, estherfrances@earthlink.net

I am postponing the February book circle because Friday, February 11th I will be attending an Oneness Blessing event.

 
I’ll keep you posted as to when and where the next meeting will be.
The featured book is “The Order Of Melchizedek: Love, Willing Service, Fulfillment” by Daniel Chesbro
I was ordained into the order of Melchizedek by Daniel Chesbro in 2000.  I just discovered this book and love the profound simplicity it delivers on the powerful transformative capacity of unconditional love.
    “Daniel Chesbro has written a blueprint of where we are today while providing a road map for the future… The book is recommended reading for those seeking hope, direction, and spiritual insight”
–     Glenn Sanderfur, Director of Development Edgar Cayce organizations, and author of Lives of the Masters
 
 Sunday, February 13th: EARTH is my Cathedral:  Esther will be the guest minister at the Rock Tavern Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Newburg, NY.  The theme will be "The Diamond of Love:  The Twelve Sacred Facets of Astro-Cosmology -- The Power of the W-hole-ly Prism  of Love!
 
Wednesday, February 16th:  Esther will be the speaker at the Mid-Hudson NCGR Meeting in Saugerties, NY. Topic: "Archetypes of Awakening: Astro-Cosmology and the Art of Awakening Awareness."  What effect does the shift from an age shaped by the illusion of separation into an era of Oneness and unity have on our interpretation of the birth chart and our role as astrological counselors? For more info please go http://midhudsonupstatencgr.net/.
 Mother EARth Calls CD, Esther Frances & the Holographic Donuts: This CD and its song "Everybody Is Sacred" seems like a fabulous antidote to the bullying reported lately in our schools.  Esther is available to come to your school, home-schooling group, gathering or party to teach the song and share the spirit of joy that comes with the realization that it is far more gratifying to celebrate each other then to compete and put each other down.

The music is terrific and the lyrics, so clear and catchy, send spirits soaring with love for life. Your gifted work is a blessing for our living Earth and all her beings.  Joanna Macy, Eco-philosoper and author of World As Lover, World As Self

Available at my website; also at CD Baby & on ITunes. 
Eco-Astrology---Valentine’s Special:  Any 60-minute synastry----relationship chart comparison---session will include a free Composite Chart and reading.  To qualify sign-up must be in February.  The relationship can be with a sweetheart, family member, or friend.  It doesn’t have to be a “romantic” relationship.

I\'m changing the fee for my private counseling to a flexible sliding scale of $2-$1 a minute rate which applies to preparation time, actual time in session, and a fee for sending a recording if desired.  Everyone who needs to can still get the rock-bottom dollar a minute.

For those who are able, I\'m increasing my rates in keeping with my commitment to "thrive-ability," a word I invented to describe a state of being where we allow ourselves the greatest flourishing possible.

A recording of the session can be sent to you as an MP3 via the internet or in disc by mail.

I am also available as a Spiritual Counselor or Life Coach --- with or without the template of astrology ---- to help you in realize your greatest well-being, passion, dreams and full potential or to offer support through crisis, loss or confusion.

Esther is a magical biographer of people. She can weave a story about our lives as if she has been our most intimate friend. I have found my sessions with her to be filled with deep insight and joy and it has been of tremendous value on my spiritual path— Client —  

 It (your astrological reading) has been my favorite Christmas present!..........Jennifer Lawrence

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!  Also Anatomy of Woodstock, the book I wrote in 1994 about the astrology of the festivals, can be ordered on line at my website store.
 

EARTH IS MY CATHEDRAL MINISTRY

---I am an inter/omni-faith minister, ordained by Daniel Chesbro in the Order of Melchizedek, Sanctuary of the Beloved, lineage. Additionally I am a Deeksha/Oneness Blessing Giver and have an extensive background in Vajrayana Buddhism, Vedanta, and Siddha Yoga.  I was born into a Christian/Jewish home, graduated from a Quaker high school and feel a tremendous affinity with Native American and indigenous traditions. I’m a spiritual mutt and workshop groupie. I love authentic spirituality in whatever form it takes to express itself!

---I would love to come to your congregation or group to present services and or workshops, accompanied by original songs and poetry.

---I am available to officiate for weddings and other rites of passage.

---My certification by John Perkins and the Dream Change Coalition authorizes me to perform “Shape-shifting Ceremonials” including shamanic journeying. 

---I am a graduate of the Delegate program of the Resonance Project taught by physicist/cosmologist Nassim Haramein. His work provides the science that verifies that we are one and provides the missing links for a Unified Field Theory.

---As a graduate of Dr Jean Houston’s three-year program in Human Capacities I offer coaching, counseling and workshops, based on Sacred Psychology. The emphasis is on encouraging and suporting you to fulfil your spiritual aspirations and life purpose in harmony and integrity with your daily life.

"        That was my favorite sermon ever. And believe me I\'ve been to lots of them!"
        Lorraine, Comment after the "U and the Uni-verse" talk, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Kingston, NY
 
    "It made me feel like loving everyone again."
    Rae Schlecht, About the 2009 Memorial Day service, "Remembering to Remember," Unitarian             Universalist Congregation,  Kingston, NY
 
 Esther’s Pet and House Sitting:

My newest endeavor is pet-sitting, house-sitting and dog walking or cat tending: In Santa Cruz or Ulster County.

www.EstherFrances.com         
845-626-7116
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

EARTHEARTISTRY Newsletter Blog, January 2001

I feel like a dog needing to shake off after a plunge in the water after a frustrating hour trying to discover why my Word program seemed to have a life of its own.  The calendar format is not what I wanted it to be but the processor won and I don’t dare go back and try to make it better.  The good news is that I seemed to have done something that has returned me to the big screen with the blue bar next to the text.  Yea.  And now for what I really want to talk about-

Saturn!  Yes, Saturn the recipient of so much negativity.  We could say that this archetype has been the scapegoat, (goat being the symbol for Capricorn), on which we have projected all our “whys” for why we “could/should/would not” succeed or achieve instead of looking at the archetype though the lens of the wise question, “What is Saturn’s role in our spiritual and practical constitution? 

Just as many have projected the “god concept” of a “holier-than-thou,” judgmental, cold-hearted persona onto the Divine, likewise a portion of the astrological collective has projected the cause of our difficulties and obstacles onto Saturn.  Instead, Saturn represents the universal law of cause and effect, which requires no outside judge to punish or reward us for our actions, and merely is a reflection of the way life works in a cause and effect “uni-verse” of inter-dependency. 

Saturn is the sole “governor/landlord/parent/source/emanation,” traditionally called “ruler,” of the sign of Capricorn.  Chronos was his ancient Greek, mythic name. Our terms chronology and even crone, an old woman, or cronies as a term for old friends, come from this ancient heritage.

Along with Uranus, Saturn is the co-governor of Aquarius.  Uranus and Saturn team up in Aquarius to bring innovation and “re-form-ation” into the existent structures so that change can transpire. There is an intrinsic creative tension between the process of preservation and the necessity of destruction. Notice that destruction is not death, but the taking apart of existent structure. This is the way radical reformation occurs.  We plow under the remains of the old vegetation to feed the next crop that will arise.

Chiron, a mythic “teacher’s teacher” was sired by Chronos.  Chiron took the form of a horse and impregnated the nymph Phylira who birthed him.  Thus, shapeshifting is intrinsic to the archetype. The dimension of “chirotic time” describe the “syn-chrono-us” dimension, where the “chrono-logical” time of “past-present-future” intersects with the timeless dimension of “ever-present-beingness” and manifests in a non-logical, magical way. We then can live “in the world but not of it,” and literally have the best of two-or-more worlds. Here we find the bridge that facilitates divination, whether through astrology or reading the images that spontaneously appear within the unfoldment of the day.

While it is true that all the archetypes are symbolic and representative of universal principles, our relationship and perception of these archetypes play a crucial role in how we experience them.  Our consciousness determines how we interpret, relate, and shape the archetypes.  As my teacher Dr. Jean Houston taught us in Mystery School, the archetypes create us and we create the archetypes. It is an interactive, co-creative relationship.  

When we bring consciousness to the Saturn archetype we can step up to the plate and acknowledge our responsibility for the life intentions and choices we have made.  It’s like the end of a semester and there’s a test given to see what you learned.  If you haven’t been doing the work…haven’t opened the books…you are not going to be a happy camper taking the test.  However, if you’ve really immersed yourself in the course, you may even enjoy the test since it gives you an opportunity to become aware of all that you’ve learned as you take the test! So how crazy is it to blame the test, and say it’s the problem, when you are the one that signed up for the course! Of course it is possible to forget or deny that we are the one who enrolled, and the part of us that made the choice was probably not the personality in the midst of the play!

Granted, in human “conned-tioning,” we have been in the clutches of the imagery of the old man with the beard, distant, sitting separate from creation, and holding the position of judge and punisher for a long time.  We are now noticing that there is a difference between the Ultimate Reality and the filter we place upon it. In a duality set-up where a minority holds the authority over the many, it is easy to look at the controller as being the problem.  It’s like the story of the baby elephant being tied to a post.  When the elephant grows up and could easily pull the post out of the ground it doesn’t even try.  Well, right now, there are a lot of us, realizing we’ve been tricked by our illusions, no longer consenting to be a prisoner of our false beliefs and taking back the authority we have given to the designated “authorities.”

What does this have to do with Saturn?  Saturn has represented “the Father principle” and authority. The root word in authority is author.  As we open up to our own wisdom and ability to assess and access what is important to us, we simultaneously unplug from the outer world’s notions of what is important and what we have to do “to succeed.”

Saturn is the planet with the many rings.  What a great image for reminding us that we are always making priorities in our life.  I experience Saturn as a great mandala. Its concentric patterning invites us to choose what is most important to us and then to focus on it.  This is the key to manifestation.  We can have qualifications and degrees up the wazoo but if we are not engaged on the heart level with the power of intention, and the realization that as creative beings we are designed to create.  Our creation then becomes conscious rather than defaulting to fear and earlier “sub-concious” programming.

We begin to ask “quest-ions,” such as: What is central to my life?  What am I going to focus on?  What or where is my work?  What are my commitments? What am I here to learn about, to manifest, to be responsible for?  What are my challenges, my fears?  What is most important to me? What do I need to master to achieve my dharma and fulfill the role I have intended to play in this lifetime?

We commit to facing our fears rather than running away from them.  Paradoxically, once we are no longer afraid of what we fear we can devise strategies, ask for assistance, engage allies to accomplish what we want to experience.  In alchemical terms, the lead becomes the gold.  Ironically, Saturn has been depicted as heavy and hard yet astronomers have shown us that it is actually very light.  What a metaphor for the new perspective we gain when the fog of fear dissipates and the sun of awareness shines through!

Saturnian/chronological time manifests in rhythms, cycles, and epochs.  Time has beginnings and endings.  This Saturn in transit often shows the ending and beginning of different phases in our lives.  As it travels around the natal chart it is an indicator or where we need to pay attention or to focus at that particular time in our life.

Life is ever-changing and though we may have selected a certain area to specialize in, we learn about the area from the perspective of many different courses.  Timing has much to do with opportunities to catch the wave, the elevator, the plane or to take some “time-out.” Nothing is static and the difference between commitment and attachment can be a subtle one.  Often one masquerades for the other and deep self-inquiry is required for integrity to prevail.

Books have been written about Saturn because it is a multifaceted archetype.  Structure and organization are key elements in its domain.  In the body, Saturn is associated with the skeleton, joints, knees and skin. Malidoma Some, a shaman and teacher of the Dagara Cosmology from Africa, says our life purpose is held in our bones.  The late Thomas Berry said that we are all here to fulfill a role rather that do a job. Saturn indicates what we are here to incarnate and what we are to learn from being incarnated.

Nassim Haramein, a contemporary cosmologist, physicist, mathematician and cultural historian, has presented the interconnection between the phenomena of expansion and contraction.  In my translation to the astrological realm, I see Jupiter representing the principle of expansion, and the electro-magnetic, radiative characteristics of the Universe. Saturn represents the contractive, gravitational, aspects of the Universe.  One elicits and accompanies the other.  Like the right and left brain, they are an intrinsic part of the whole.  Their relationship with each other could be said to be analogous to the corpus collusum, the bridge that integrates both processes.  They are not separate.  We need to appreciate and evaluate the relationship between Saturn and Jupiter to fully understand their significance in an astrological chart.

Cosmologist Brian Swimme, speaks of the force of gravity as “allurement.”  The “law of attraction” has been getting a lot of attention lately.  I see this principle as an embodiment of both Saturn,  that which we gravitate toward and holds us in relationship and Venus that which we love.  We tend to gravitate toward what we are attracted to. Thus we can view Saturn, in the astro-cosmological domain, as an indicator of what we love, what is extremely important to us and what we are here to manifest.  Once we realize limits aren’t bad, are in fact expansive, we no longer fight discipline and no longer engage in a compulsive appetite for more.  Quality rather than quality becomes the keynote.  Following the smorgasbord of experience that Sagittarius provided, we come to know what we like and willingly choose to fulfill our calling and nurture our plot within Life’s garden. 

Affirmation:

I AM the Infinite within the finite, the timeless within time, the boundless beingness playing in the playground of space-and-time.  I AM the author of my life and I am taking responsibility for my creativity and actualizing and fulfilling my life purpose by awakening to my divinity, and daring to bring to fruition that which I love and that which enhances the whole Earth community .

I will say a few works In response to so many inquiries about the recent statement by Parke Kunkle, an astronomer from Minnesota, who told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the zodiac signs, have changed due to Earth’s “wobble “around its axis, which created a one month bump in signs’ alignment. In short, “when [astrologers] say that the sun is in Pisces, it’s really not in Pisces,” says Kunkle.  The proposed new sign is called Ophiuchus and if used many sign placements would be displaced to another sign.

First off, Western astrology is not based on the position of the planets in relation to the constellations.  We use what is called the Tropical System and it operates on symbolism derived from a correlation with the turning of Earth’s seasons.

It is not news that the planets have sifted from their original alignment with the constellations bearing their names. Vedic or Eastern astrology does take into account this celestial movement and from the perspective of the Vedic system everyone’s planetary positions change about twenty-three degrees. If your planet’s position were at twenty-two or less degrees of any sign, from the Vedic perspective you would be in the previous sign.  Curiously the Vedic system has never expanded to include the relatively newly discovered planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto who is now relegated to the status of a planetoid.

In my experience, both the Western and the Vedic astrological methods are valid, so why not let in the possibility of another lens, and another perspective to see through.  The idea that something has to make something else wrong in order to be right is a very narrow, dualistic notion that does not do justice to the fact that Life just doesn’t operate that way.  If you examine something under a microscope, using different magnification, each lens can bring forth a unique set of information.  Why not in other disciplines?

A standard notion in astrology is that when a new planet or celestial body or bodies are found, the finding is symbolic of the significance of the symbology shifting from the subconscious to the conscious.  I have no difficulty with an alteration in the number of signs, being regarded as a new planetary finding, as therefore serving to place a new emphasis on a rising archetype or paradigm. 

My approach is pragmatic:  Try it!  Play with it!  What new insights or provided?  Does it make sense after hanging out with it for a while?  Walk around in the new shoes knowing you can return them if they don’t fit after you’ve tried them, but please don’t insist that the old shoes are no good any more!!!!!! 

Plurality is so much more interesting than a tug-of-war between advocates of perspectives that see themselves as antagonistic to each other.  We can go beyond defending the old or imposing the new. Neptune is the contemporary “parent/governor,” ruler, of Neptune, yet lots of insight can be derived by looking its traditional “ruler,” Jupiter, who was assigned this position since ancient times.  The same is true of Mars with Scorpio.

Let’s be generous, adventurous, and curious.  We can afford to let go of our attachment to being right and instead be willing to discover and explore the new proposal.  If there is any hindrance to greater knowledge and wisdom, it surely is attachment.  We can’t hold our hand closed, clenching something as certainty and simultaneously leave our hand open, receptive and willing to catch whatever the new.  Because something is new or old doesn’t insure that it is better or the best.

©  Esther Frances

January 17, 2011